Cherokee County man charged in shooting investigation

The following press release has been issued by Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.  All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Murphy, NC— Sheriff Derrick announced the December 19th, 2018 arrest of 39-year-old Nathon Wesley Barnett of Murphy, North Carolina on charges alleging he assaulted a man with a firearm.

Shortly before 9pm, December 19th, 2018, the Cherokee County Emergency Communications Center received a call stating a person had been shot and was in need of emergency assistance. As deputies were responding to the scene, additional information was being provided by the caller who later was identified as the victim, 34-year-old Jared Hawkins, that Barnett had shot him in the head. First responders and Life Force Air Ambulance staged and awaited the arrival of law enforcement.

Upon arriving to the scene, deputies made entry into the residence and located the victim and the assailant.  Nathon Wesley Barnett was detained and subsequently arrested and taken to the Cherokee County Detention Center for the assault of Hawkins.

Jared Hawkins was airlifted by Life Force to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, TN where he remains in stable condition at the time of this release.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation in processing the crime scene.

Nathon Wesley Barnett is currently incarcerated in the Cherokee Detention Center for Assault With A Deadly Weapon With Intent To Kill Inflicting Serious Injury and has a $150,000.00 secure bond. Barnett is expected to be in the Cherokee County District Court on January 3, 2019 at 9 am.

Sheriff Palmer stated, “We appreciate the assistance of our local first responders who provide invaluable assistance in these situations. We are glad to be able to partner with the North Carolina SBI who are a super resource in these cases. Our prayers go out to both families during this time. There are many questions that still have to be answered as we continue our investigation.”

​To report suspicious activity and suspect violations of the law please call 828-837-1344 or submit a tip at crime.tips@cherokeecounty-nc.gov.